


magic number three.

by milominderbinder



Series: thirty days of skam fic [29]
Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - One Night Stand, Banter, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Texting, The boy squad giving love advice, dating rules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-30 00:23:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11452152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milominderbinder/pseuds/milominderbinder
Summary: Isak triple-texts his one night stand, Even, and the boy squad are in absolute despair.  They try to coach him through the proper etiquette of texting a hookup, but at this point, Isak might be a lost cause; especially since heswearsEven seemed just as keen as he is (despite the fact that it's been eleven hours with no text back).





	magic number three.

**Author's Note:**

> the scene where the boy squad help isak text even is literally one of my faves ever :') also i'm a firm believer in double texting whoever tf you want and like.... lets be real, both isak and even are not great with technology and are also absolutely desperate

“Dude, this is so simple. This is like, entry level stuff.”

“Seriously Isak, how have you ever managed to hook up with anyone before?”

“Bro, come on, did you not take dating 101?  I mean, even _I_ know this.”

Isak slumps back in his chair, gripping his beer between white-knuckled hands and glaring around the table.  At some point soon, he thinks to himself, he _really_ needs to invest in some better friends.

“You can all fuck off,” he suggests, and then turns a baleful look to the middle of Jonas’s kitchen table, which they're all sat around as they supposedly pregame for a big party in someone's university halls tonight, although at this rate Isak’s not sure they'll even make it to the party, since the guys now seem only invested in telling him off.  Isak’s phone is lying on the table between them all, still open to his most recent text conversation.  Mahdi had been holding it, but he'd felt the need to dramatically drop the phone in disgust as soon as he'd seen what Isak had done.

But in Isak’s defence, how was _he_ supposed to know it’s bad to triple text?

“He was _really_ hot,” he moans, bringing his beer bottle up to his forehead and pressing the cold glass against his temples. “Easily the best sex I've ever had, even though we were both completely drunk.  Plus he was nice, and funny, and -- I'm just supposed to never contact him again after _that_?”

There's disbelief in Isak’s tone, because that can't possibly be how it works.  He also refuses to believe he's this out of the loop on the rules of dating -- or that there are rules of dating to begin with, honestly.

“Exactly!”

“It was a _one night stand_!”

To be fair, Isak’s had his fair share of one night stands since coming out of the closet a few years ago, just before he graduated Nissen.  Possibly more than his fair share.  His time at University so far has involved a lot of time at parties or gay bars, a lot of guys with dark hair and dark eyes, just Isak’s type, a lot of kissing in shadowy corners and fucking in strangers’s beds.  He's gone on a few regular dates too, but it never really caught his interest, and nothing ever turned into any kind of actual relationship, so he mostly does just stick to the hooking up -- and through all of that, he's never felt the urge to text a guy the next day.  Sometimes he's taken their number but just never got in touch, and other times the parting has been more mutual, or else he's snuck out in the middle of the night without saying anything, but never _this_.

This guy -- _Even_ , whose name still tastes heavenly in Isak’s mouth -- had been different.  They'd both been pretty drunk, sure, at a gay club Eskild had dragged Isak to that night.  Even had come over while Isak was alone at the bar, and he wasn't Isak’s usual type at _all_ , but his height and blonde hair and soulful blue eyes were all working for him, and he was somehow the hottest person Isak had ever seen.  There hadn't been any pretence between them about what was going on; Even bought Isak one beer, they tried to have a lighthearted conversation over the thumping music of the club, and less twenty minutes later, Even had leaned over to say _wanna get out of here_ in Isak’s ear.

So they'd gone back to Even’s place, and fucked.  The sex was incredible, but that wasn't really the part that had taken Isak’s breath away, had made him so desperate to see each other again.  Once they were done fucking, in the middle of the night, Even had tugged Isak into a position that was a little bit like cuddling, and they'd just _talked_ .  Isak had talked to guys before sex, the usual generic ‘are we gonna hook up or not’ banter, and he'd talked to guys during sex, litanies of ‘yeah like that’ and ‘what do you wanna do’ and ‘no what the fuck I don't like that go back to the other thing’, but he had never really talked to a guy _after_ sex before.  Even was hilarious and sweet and somehow comfortable to speak to, right away.  They talked for so long that Isak fell asleep and forgot to sneak out in the middle of the night.  The next morning, Even cuddled him some more, and made breakfast, and then said he had to run to cover an early shift at work but gave Isak his number.  

And then Isak waited a few hours, and texted Even three times in a row.  And now his friends are going to disown him.

As they all talk over the top of each other, lamenting Isak’s apparent hopelessness, he feels the need to defend himself -- “Guys, he was really nice, I'm _sure_ he's not gonna care how many times I texted him!  And he was -- he seemed really keen.”  

Isak's cheeks turn a bit pink.  Really keen _too_ , he would say, if the guys would ever let him live it down.  Because Isak definitely is.  He definitely is keen.

The boys all share a pitying look, and then turn back to Isak.

“Isak,” Jonas says, rather gently considering how dramatic they’re all being.  “How long ago did you text him?”

Isak knows exactly how long ago he texted Even, but he scoops his phone up off the middle of the table and pretends to have to check. Looking at the texts makes him suddenly and strangely uneasy. _Has_ he fucked everything up?

“Eleven hours, nine minutes,” he rattles off, and his stomach churns.

Mahdi winces, and a round of sympathetic mumbles ring across the table.

“Bro. I'm sorry, but he only way you don't respond to someone for that long the day after you fuck them is if you're trying to get them to take a hint.”

Okay.  Isak reads the texts again and thinks, maybe, now that he's not so freshly fucked and clouded with Even’s cuteness, he can _kind_ of see where the guys are coming from.  It's not that he necessarily thinks there's anything wrong with triple texting, but in the words themselves, he might have come across just a tiny bit -- desperate.

Isak had woken up and blushed when he read Even’s note, taken his time having some coffee and gathering his clothes up, half-heartedly made the bed, drawn a bunch of little hearts on the chalkboard grocery list in Even’s kitchen, and then let himself out. The moment he got on the tram home, he texted Even.

_Hey, Even. This is Isak. Thanks for leaving me your numba haha. I locked up behind me when I left and put the key back under the door. It was super nice last night. Have a good day at work :)_

And then, fourteen minutes later:

_Fuck, I can't stop thinking about how cool it was with us last night though.  When can I see you again? I'm supposed to be going to a party tonight but I'll blow it off if you want to do something._

And then, another two hours after that:

_Remember when we were talking about parallel universes? Haha I borrowed my roommates yellow hoodie today and it made me think of you. Maybe alternate Even and Isak are wearing blue hoodies today :)_

Fuck, Isak thinks.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he says. “Well, what the hell, then! What am I supposed to do to tell him I'm not some kind of stalker? Should I text him again and explain?”

His thumbs are already flying across his phone keyboard when three resounding voices shout out, “ _NO_!”

“Isak, if you wanna be in with _any_ chance of him texting back, you have to let him make the next move. Triple texting is desperate, but quadruple texting is -- just plain _scary_.”

“Man, I’m taking this off you for the rest of the night,” Jonas says, shaking his head and snagging Isak’s phone out of his fingertips before Isak has chance to protest. “You're not safe when you're sober, let alone drunk.”

Isak groans, takes a long drag of beer, and then thunks his head down onto the table. How has this gone so hideously, unexpectedly wrong? Less than twenty four hours ago Isak was in bliss, feeling like he was completely connected to someone he just fucked for the first time in his life.  Now Even probably thinks he's a serial killer and is never gonna message him back and Isak will have to live alone for the rest of his days, a lonely gay hermit who can't even have a phone in case he messes up everyone's chances at love.

“He was so nice,” he moans into the table. “And so pretty.”

Magnus reaches over and pats Isak on the back a few times in consolation.

“That's rough,” he says, voice gentle. “But at this point, I’d be surprised if you ever heard from him again.  You really screwed this one up, man.”

“Why can't it just be _simple_?” Isak complains into the table, his voice coming out more like a muffled scream. “If you like like someone, you should just be able to text them, without having to know mysterious rules nobody ever told you.”

Isak reaches up and blindly grabs his beer, bringing it under the table so he can take a pouty sip without having to raise his head from the fort of misery he's created on the tabletop. He starts wondering how much it would be to book a plane ticket to Siberia.

And then, all of a sudden, muffled in Jonas’s pocket but still unmistakeable -- Isak’s phone chirps.  His head snaps up immediately, so quick that he knocks his beer and it sloshes on his hand.

“Is it him?” Isak asks, abandoning his beer completely and nearly lunging at Jonas, who is rolling his eyes as he digs the phone out of his pocket.

“Isak, would you chill? It's probably just Eskild wondering if you got murdered when you left the bar without telling him last night.” Jonas finally gets to the phone, glances at it -- and freezes. “Oh.”

“It's him!” Isak knows it without even looking. His stomach erupts into butterflies, half elated and half absolutely terrified that the text is just ‘please never contact me again’ or something. “Well? _Jonas_ , what does it say?”

Instead of answering that, Jonas places the phone back in the middle of the table, and three heads lean in to read it at once.

_Isak! I'm so sorry, I was away from my phone all day, it was so nice getting your texts. I hate to break it to you but I am wearing a blue hoodie today, so does that mean I'm alternate universe Even? I guess it doesn't matter either way, because I think every universe of Even thinks you're cute ;) xx_

_What are you up to? Did you go to that party with your friends? We can do something right now if you're free. Don't ditch them if you don't want to though! Maybe I could see you tomorrow morning? I could come over and cook you breakfast if you're hungover, and we could just watch some movies all day or something? Whatever you want to do, I'm there, just let me know xx_

_Fuck, it really was nice with you last night. Have you ever just met someone before and just felt like your soul already met them in a precious life or something? Anyway, thanks for texting. My pillow still smells like you. Haha :) xxx_

It takes Isak five whole seconds to recover from reading the texts, but as soon as he does, he raises his head triumphantly. The boys look absolutely mind blown.

Even hadn't just texted back after Isak’s desperate messages. He'd _triple_ texted back.

“Fuck,” says Magnus, and Isak grabs his phone again to call Even and tell him they should absolutely do something tonight, party be damned. “Guys, I gotta rethink my dating strategy right now. Maybe it _is_ that simple.”

**Author's Note:**

> let me know if you liked it! only one more fic to go in this series, omggggg
> 
> also posted on my tumblr [here!](http://milominderbindered.tumblr.com/post/162794134206/thirty-days-of-skam-fic-day-twenty-nine-aka-isak)


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